A Bias Against You
by Usuian13
Summary: After years of hating each other, Danny and Dash must learn to forgive or forget. But doesn't matter how much time passes the teens can't let go of their grudge, yet they keep finding each other in strange situations. Please comment, and/or review :)
1. Bad Decisions

It had been three years since Danny Fenton became Danny Phantom, and through trial and error the teen could finally said that everything was… great.

After the town discovered the identity of their local hero everything fell into place. People thanked and respected Danny for his efforts of keeping the town safe, but the town still treat his hero persona as a secret. Danny would get school passes and no one would question when he needs to go and save the day. But he is still obligated to finish his homework and other living teenager's responsibilities.

And after a brief period of being too popular for the teen's taste, everything returned to normal.

As normal as it could be in Amity Park.

Sam and Tucker were his best friends, and Danny was still a hero.

Well, there was one thing that had change that Danny was not sure how to felt about it.

Dash Baxter.

The blonde had apologized to Danny and even helped fight off the ghost invasion. And stop all taunting and bullying afterwards.

It was a bliz during the first month.

After a month all of Dash behavior was nothing but suspicious.

The quarterback continue being grossly popular, but switched his interests from harassing people to actually passing his classes.

This should be a good thing…

Once the first summer passed of Danny being out (as a superhero), and Dash not returning to his full *ssh*le self Danny confronted Dash.

It was the first day back from summer break in sophomore year. Danny had told Dash that he doesn't bught the 'nice' act, and demanded to know what he had planned -fully knowing how paranoid he sound it and that he was giving Dash too much credit as master mind with a master plan. Dash had said "Phantom used to be my hero." That was his only answer for everything. And Danny couldn't comprehend why that was so infuriating,

They stop talking to each other.

Or about each other.

It was like a game of pretend 'the other doesn't exist,' except that both players suck at pretending.

Every Time Danny and Dash would pass each other by the halls they would glare at each other. When the trio went to support the school at important games, Danny wouldn't stand up to celebrate a scored point by their school if Dash scored it. Dash would never clap at Danny's history presentation. If by chance, both happen to be in the same room they would stop talking completely until one of them leaves the room.

Everyone eventually noticed and individually decided that it couldn't last long, that they would eventually talk to each other or forget whatever had them fighting/not fighting.

Everyone was wrong.

The start of the senior year of high school, either Danny or Dash had gotten better at ignoring the other, but the school had gotten better at ignoring them.

Sam, who still wears her black mini skirts and crop tops had only change her makeup to be a few shades darker, spots Dash walking in their direction. She sighs as Danny glares at the blonde.

"Really?" Tucker asks, he had kept his beloved red cap over his constant wardrobe changes.

"What?" Danny tries to act innocent once Dash is out of his vision field. Tucker opens his mouth but Sam's hand stops him.

"Don't even bother." The goth says clearly, and Danny can't help but to internally flinch. Sam tired of scolding him! -he had let this really go out of control.

But he can't really help it.

Danny looks at his schedule to see where he has to go for first period, but his brain had been train to first think where is Dash Baxter going to be. Dash is in his government class, and the blonde had his baseball practice during Danny's third period -math, so he knows he will get distracted… only two classes.

Danny looks at the sheet of paper, and he tries to decipher why he feels so disappointed.

"Not bad!" Tucker says and suddenly Danny notices that his friends had their schedules next to Danny's, trying to figure out how many classes they had together,

"So, you are coming with me." Sam says and pulls Danny towards their classroom while Tucker dramatically calls them to stay. Danny laughs, and he tries to keep Dash out his mind.

Sam starts talking about how ASL is going to be great, 'such an important language that should be more common within our main-culture…

Danny nods as he listens his friend rant, then he sees Dash inside the classroom.

The blonde had changed his hair style during the summer to the very popular haircut (short on the sides, and only slightly longer in the top part of the skull), because he has combed his usual way is hard to notice the small difference.

But Danny can tell, it suits him.

There is a new tension in the classroom, it lasts less than a second -except, of course for the two teens.

For the two teens the tension stays.

Sam sighs as she pulls Danny to the opposite side of the classroom. The front row.

Danny sits in the front, and Dash drills two holes in Danny's neck. The dark haired teen could tell when his least favorite classmate blinks.

The teacher smiles as she explains the syllables, and how after the first week they are expected to only communicate through sign language. The students groan. The teaches add;

"Is good no one needs to talk to each other in this class!" Danny tries not to take it personally, but the whole classroom erupts with laughter. Even Sam is holding her stomach like it would burst.

'It wasn't that funny,' Danny thinks as he blushes.  
There were only two students not laughing.

Danny is very thankful when the class ends.

"That was awful" Danny whines.

"Really? In the first day. Give it a week, Danny" Sam says like she didn't understood what Danny meant.

Before Danny could say anything in return Dash walks by. The blonde actually turns while he walks to look at Danny, who stops to glare with all his energy.

"Really?" Sam repeats herself. " In the first day."

The rest of the day goes as usual.

Until Danny sees Dash for any reason, then everything has to stop.

Is almost funny how fast and often Danny can find Dash when he keeps looking for him.

The teen sighs and recognizes that he can't kept glaring at Baxter -it accomplishes nothing, this is his last year of high school and he really doesn't want to spend half of it thinking about some stupid hot jock.

So, Danny writes a note and leaves it in Dash's locker. He even used his ghost powers to make sure no one would see him.

Dash tries and fails to ignore Kwan as he walks to his locker.

"Just saying. It damages the morale of the team seeing our captain being so hateful…and no one even knows why" The soft spoken Kwan continues in his unusual rant. Kwan rarely spoke against anything, and it was obvious that the team had push Kwan to talk to Dash. They know that Dash would listen to Kwan.

"I don't hate him." Dash says more to himself as he opens his locker.

"Really?!" Kwan asks truly surprised. Dash playfully pushes his friend. The the blonde finds a suspicious piece of paper in his empty locker. Carefully to not called the attention of Kwan he takes the piece of paper and stuffs it in his jacket before putting his books in the locker.

"The guys are gonna be so relief!" Kwan says with a bright smile. Dash didn't need to read the paper to know what it said or who wrote it.

"Well, see ya later!"

"Wait?" Kwan stops his friend looking confused. "Aren't you coming to get burgers?"

"Yeah. Later." Dash asures and pats his friend. "I need to first get home, my mom needs me for something." Dash lies, and barely says bye to his friend before leaving.

Dash feels the paper on his pockets and his heart's beat raises. He knows Danny wrote it, and he knows that it says to meet after school in the gym by the bleachers. Where they meet the last time they talk to each other. Dash also would like to think he knows what Danny wants… but for that he would need to check the paper.

It takes no time for the teen to reach the gym, some basketball players are leaving. Dash chats with them, and they express their hopes of a good season. The guys don't think nothing of Dash being there, after all someone that participates in every sport in the school would need to train all the time.

They take too long to leave.

Dash feels like his heart is failing him, like it won't keep him steady like it always does. The blonde pulls the paper out of his jacket but before he can read it a voice calls him.

"It took you soooo long." Danny appears a moment after making his commentary. Dash concentrates in Danny's voice -it his deeper now, he had also grown a few inches this summer… they are almost the same height. Dash stares at Danny for far too long.

"Are you gonna say something?" Danny asks a little jumpy with all the silence and the tension in the air. Dash says nothing, so Danny moves closer.

They are almost the same height, but Dash is so much buffier.

It feels like by shortening the distance between each other the tension intensifies.

As to experiment with the consent Dash takes a step forward reducing the space between them to a feet at most.

"What do you want?" Dash aks like it was drag slowly out of him. The question takes Danny by surprise, he is not sure -maybe he forgot or maybe he doesn't know. Danny's silence adds something to the atmosphere, something that had been there for a while and had only grow with the years…

Abruptly, Danny was too aware of their proximity and Dash's blue eyes on him. Danny looks down and tries to calm himself, to remember why he called Dash -why he wanted to said. The thinner teen grunts, it is not the moment to forget such things or become distracted by Baxter tank top tan lines which are fairly visible through the wide neck of his t-shirt.

"Fenton?" Danny was not sure if that was a question or Dash's way to calls for Danny's attention, but before he could react to his name a large hand had seized his collar. Danny resisted ready to fight, but his mind went blank when a pair of chap lips press against his own.

Danny widens his eyes in surprised, while Dash closed his and frowns with a sentiment Danny can't name. His lips were warm. Acting purely in impulse Danny reaches for Dash's blonde locks, he tells himself that anyone would play with the jock's pretty hair giving the chance -that is was only natural. He keeps Dash head in place as Danny opens his mouth. The quarterback immediately sneaks his tongue inside the other's mouth. It was a sloppy kiss at best, a weird combination of hesitation and adrenaline. Dash pulls Danny's hips closer to him and feels the smaller chest against his own, Danny jerks forward when he feels the jock's erection. Dash moans and dips his head backwards to breath, like he forgot how to, but quickly returns to kiss Danny -only to be stop by the ice blue eyes. Danny's pupils were full blown with delight and want, his cheeks red and his mouth still agape waiting. A little smile forms in the jock's stupidly hot face, his hair is messy like when he had been in a fight or train for too long, but different. Danny swallows and Dash waits.

Either of them want it to say it.

They stare at each other, and without words both reach to the same decision.

They would deal with it later.

Danny almost jumps to capture Dash's mouth. Their kiss had changed. With the new unspoken agreement both were a little more bold and confident. Dash explores Danny's mouth slowly and enjoys every little moan the teen produces. Danny lets Dash take control of the kiss, too busy enjoying himself by pressing his body against Dash's firm muscles.

That was when a high pitched barking noise startle both young men.

Dash moves and peels one his hand away from Danny's body, and reaches for his cell phone. The blonde keeps a straight face when he sees that he is almost an hour late -his friends are gonna be pissed.

"I-"

"Go" Danny says a little too harsh, and steps away from Dash.

"Fenton?" Dash says as he sees realization and something else in Danny's face, it makes the larger teen's heart clench in ugly ways.

"I can't -I can't believe that -that just happen!" Danny says as he becomes more and more red, not only at the the memory of what had just taken place, but at the fact that Danny really enjoy it.

"Listen. Do you think I'm happy about it?!" Dash asks as he fixes his hair and tries not to seem hurt.

"You started it!" Danny says between clench teeth, ready to blamed all on Dash. Because it makes sense. Dash was hot, really really -disgustingly- hot, it was natural to be attract it. So what was Dash's excuse.

Did his little hero adoration left some feeling lingering? … Did it?

"Like you didn't want more!" Dash taunts and point his fingers at Danny's somewhat still visible erection.

"It is natural!" Danny says as he slaps Dash's hand away.

The barking noise returns and Dash cancels the call.

"Was … was this a prank?" Danny asks softly.

"No. NO. It was not" Dash hurries to explain.

"Or a bet?" Danny asks suspiciously, ready to cry and beat Dash at the same time if need it.

"Fenton you really think I would accept any bet that includes kissing a guy?" To that, Danny had to raise and eyebrow, because 'kissing a guy' is what Dash had been doing for the past half hour.

"I guess you don't need an excuse." Danny says and he is surprised when Dash flinched, momentarily but it was there. The blonde offers no comeback and Danny knows that they are in uncharted territory.

Is silence again, until Danny's phone vivatres. Is a text from Tucker asking if anyone want to go see a movie.

"Do they know you are here?" Dash asks, his tone more serious than Danny had ever hear him.

"No" Danny answers unsure of how to react, he knows he should say sorry -he say something that Dash was not ready to hear.

They insults were never supposed to really hurt.

"Neither do my friends." Danny nods at the new information, and they made a new silence agreement.

This won't happen again.

And this never happen.

Danny texts back that he is patrolling. Sam and Tucker tell him not to work too hard.

Dash tells his friends that his mom forced him to clean his bedroom before leaving. The guys comment that it was a miracle that it only took him an hour.

Next morning everything was back to normal.

But that was a problem.

"Look away~" Tucker whispers in Danny's ear during their P.E class. Dash track team are running around the school and every 8 to 10 minutes Danny can see Dash through the thin metal fence.

Seven minutes, Dash had become faster this pass summer.

Danny can't help to smile, a weird feeling of satisfaction blooming in his chest when it shouldn't it.

"You know I only took this class for you right?" Tucker pouts as he remember Danny complaining how the school was forcing him to take physical education every year so he could be fit and learn how to take care of his body… So Danny said he was not doing it alone, and Tucker lost 'rock, paper, scissors' against Sam.

"I remember it different." Danny tries to joke.

"Dude! You had to stop! It has to be bad for your health at this point!" Tucker insisted while Danny tries to come with a distraction.

"If you wanna keep hating Dash forever that okay, but this active hating/glaring has gone for so long… why?" Tucker presses.

"I know!" Danny answers. "And also, I don't know."

Tucker lifts an eyebrow, but before he could ask Danny to explain himself the teacher is screaming at them to do something besides standing in place.

The days passes by.

Then the week.

Nothing has change.

It was sunday afternoon and the sun is coming down, and Dash keeps considering running for one more hour around the park or go home and finish his french paper. It was becoming dark soon, the blonde sighs and thinks of the long summer days, why are there any other seasons besides summer anyway?

He knows that nature has some science of how it works, but he doesn't care -he wants eternal summer.

He hasn't yet made his mind, but he is walking further away from home.

"Hey" Dash turns at the voice, there was no one really in the park, and if there was one or two dog walker were now heading home.

"Hey yourself!" Dash answers without yet spotting the person, then Danny appears from thin air.

"Fenton?" Dash asks a little surprise.

"No the other ghost boy!" Danny offers.

"Oh thank goodness, I thought this was about to be unpleasant!" Dash smiles with his perfect white teeth.

Danny stops, that was more complicated than Dash's normal insults.

"We need to talk." The ghost boy decides to jump the argument part.

"We are talking." Dash says unsure of what else could he said.

There is silence again, and the tension builds. Danny curses his habit of getting easily distracted as he looks at Dash's tank top, the thin black fabric slightly wet with sweat binds to him like a second skin, and the chest of the blonde raises and fall rapidly. Dash looks flush and out of air, sweat beams rolling from his chin to the curve of his neck and rediscovering the slope of his collar bones before reaching under his wearout tank top.

"Is this … about monday?" Dash tries trying to switch Danny's attention point, form his chest to his face… the blonde wonders if Danny can hear his heartbeat, and then he hopes his dear hero won't mention how his heart is not slowing down.

"What? No. That didn't happen Dash. This is about any day but monday!" Danny says, and he wonders if Dash notice that he was staring.

"Oh" Dash exclaims, surprise and somewhat disappoint it.

"This is our last year of high school." Danny says and Dash tries not to think too hard about it. But is true. The teen still remembers the words of that awful lady. The cruelest and most real thing the blonde had ever heard.

'Your life is over after high school'

"I want to enjoy it. I bet you do too" Danny continues, completely unaware of the other inner struggle.

'Your life is over after high school'

Those words were like a kitchen knife that it has carved a home between Dash's ribs.

If he tries to take out the knife, then he would bleed out.

But if he stands very straight and ignores the pain, then he can live the best days of his life without facing the ugly true until it is too late.

"And I don't think I want to glare at you throughout another year…" Danny continues.

'Your life is over after high school'

Dash wants to had everything he knows he won't had after high school.

That's way he kisses Fenton.

Danny was even more surprised by the second kiss attack. He wanted to push the large teen away, to tell him he was sweaty and all of his hot body was gross. But instead Danny tries to devour Dash's mouth. Danny feels his tongue rub against Dash's, he can smell Dash old spice, grass, and bitter sweat, he can feel the dampness in the curve of Dash's back.

Both men awkwardly smile at each other when they separate for air, Danny was ready to return for more, but Dash motions the other to sit down.

The smaller teen feels the cold grass in his back, and the hot weight of Dash over him.

The tension was there again, but Danny or Dash don't care or want to fight it, they just close the distance between them.

Dash mouth felt perfect lock with Danny's. The jock could feel Danny trying to dominated the kiss, Dash tastes like fruit punch and for some reason that makes Danny happy. The blonde lets Danny explore as he pleases and he does the same with his hands. A large hand caress Danny's inner thighs and makes the teens legs spread to an embarrassingly exposed position. Danny moans as new waves of arousal flowing throughout his body like electricity make him jerk his hips in hopes for some contact. Soon Danny could hear himself whining as he frustratedly waits for Dash to touch his erection.

"D- Dash!" Danny says when he notice that the jock is just teasing him. The other chuckles and softly kisses Danny's neck.

"I'm just enjoying myself here." Danny could feel Dash's smile in his neck, as the large fingers rub lightly over his groin.

"Hurry-" Danny stops when he looks a car driving suspiciously slow, a police car that stop and flashes a light over the pair.

"Baxter?" The officer asks seeing the blonde kneeling alone over some grass in the dark.

"Hell- Hello! Officer. Officer Robinson" Dash tries his best smile but he can't even imagine how strange must he look, but he straighten himself into a pushup position -since Danny is nowhere to be seen.

"Boy! Don't push yourself too hard. Go home" The officer lets it pass, since is not the first time he finds Dash training in the park.

"Yes. Officer. After this set" Dash says not wanting to stand up and exposed his boner to the police officer.

"Or you could take Brandon with you. That kid could train some more from time to time!" The officer laughs.

"I'll keep it in mind!"

"Don't tell him I told you that!" The officer says before driving away.

Dash laughs awkwardly.

"That was close!" Dash says looking to the sky. Danny appears sitting next to Dash.

"This can't happen again." Danny says, his face red, as he looks in the direction that the officer went.

"You called me!"

"You kissed me" Both hissed.

After a moment of silence Dash agrees.

"So I act like this didn't happen at school tomorrow."

"And also don't glare at me anymore." Dash turns a little surprise and ready to fight.

"I know I do it too! I was trying to ask you for a truce earlier…" Dash makes an 'oh,' and stays silence.

"It won't look suspicious if we are suddenly okay." Dash asks, trying to get an excuse to keep looking at Danny.

"I think they would be too relief to question it" Dash nods as he imagines his friends talking about it, but not pressing on the subject to avoid restarting whatever Danny and Dash were doing.

"I guess…"

The silence returns, but is not tense. Not angry, not sad, is something without a name.

"Is okay if I go?" Danny asks not sure how to proceed.

"Yeah! I can walk home. Is part of my routine anyways" Danny nods and stands up. A halo forms around his hips and the two rings of light separate transforming Danny Fenton into Danny Phantom.

Danny flies away, and Dash tries to find him long after he knows Danny is not longer there.

Dash runs home, aware that he is very late. No one is worry, Dash is always late anyways.

He finish his french paper and submitted it online. Is not a bad paper, maybe he would get a good grade for a chance…

'Your life is over after high school'

Dash finally falls asleep.

Dash finally wakes up.

It is monday.

Dash doesn't glare at Danny when he passes by in the Hall, and Danny doesn't look in his direction.

Why does his mouth feels sour.

"Is everything okay?" Kwan asks uncharastically observant.

"Yeah?" Dash answers. His friend nods and doesn't question anything.

No one does. Danny was right, not that Dash is really surprise. The guy is smart, not necessarily book smart but he has the type of wit that can't be taught.

But that doesn't make it any easier to not look at Danny.

Dash can't control his eyes from looking for the part-time hero, or his brain for daydreaming about Danny's lips, about Danny's hands pulling on his blonde strands.

Dash screams at his team mates.

His version of a pet talk.

This year is important. This year they will win all of their games, no is not too much to ask -is the bare minimum. Dash smiles as the guys in the team who scream in agreement. But they don't meant like Dash does, this is the last year Dash will play for joy.

What a stupid little depressing thought.

Dash smiles wider, it keeps the bad thoughts away.

Dash trains and he trains hard, this is something he is good at. So, Dash lifts the weights, runs the miles, stretches morning and afternoons, drinks the green smoothies and eggs, he jumps over the tires lining in the ground, he pushes the metals mock player until every muscle of his legs hurts, he drops to the ground and jumps back up every time his coach says so, and then he goes home and waits to do it all again.

Tuesday was very alike Monday, except he had track practice in the morning. Wednesday was very alike Tuesday except he had football practice and baseball practice. Thursday was just like Tuesday, and Friday was a challenge with football practice, swimming captain elections, and his first government paper due.

Saturday morning seem like a waste of time to the jock.

Dash runs as he does every Saturday at six am, he tries to ignore his backpack and the fact that he is getting his armpit sweat on the straps.

Majorly Gross.

He is running to the city library, a place that the jock hasn't been since that school trip in fourth grade. Yet, here he is running to the library when he could run towards the park and feed his ego from the onlookers.

Like the first time he when to the library, it ended up being a two hour trip.

He is running to the library because he didn't cheat on his essay.

Friday he had put his paper on the pile of homeworks and the teacher had given him a look. Dash didn't care or thought much about it, because he couldn't blame her. Mrs. Merryweather had been Dash's teacher for sophomore English, and he would completely understand why she thought to be strange that one of her past worst students was turning in his homework at the start of class.

Dash didn't care.

He didn't care when she called him to stay at the end of class, or that she was holding his paper.

He didn't care that she pretty much insinuated as much as a teacher could insinuated that it was not Dash's paper, because Dash had forced other people to do his homework in the past.

She offered him extra credit, because it seems like Dash had _truly_ turned a new page.

He didn't even care that she didn't believe him, and that she was trying some type of B.S. test.

The only thing that Dash cared was that Danny Fenton never never left the classroom.

Danny was there in his 'invisibility billy' persona.

The jock might not be bright, he might even be dumb, but he won't be anyone's fool.

Danny needs to know that.

Dash finish climbing the steps of the library and he opens the doors, the cold air makes the blonde shiver. The library is vast, and somehow bigger than he remembers or maybe just emptier -it is only eight in the morning. A librarian turns to see who had entered and her eyes stay a little too long fixed on Dash, the wrinkles on her face tightens like she was eating something sour.

Not the type of looks that Dash's ego feeds on.

Dash walks feeling out of place, but if the past years had taught him anything is 'Fake it until you Make it… or Break it.'

The blonde finds his target sitting on a table talking with goth friend. Danny looks pretty with his sleepy face.

The teen hero had discovered that for whatever reason ghosts tend to attack only after ten am, so Danny was forced to become something of an early bird to assure he would get things done.

Goth friend looks a Dash who sits on the table behind them. The jock ignores the growing tension as he takes out his materials out; papers, laptop, pencils, and a cute eraser of a dog that hold a sign 'Ruff up.'

Dash puts on his earphones, and mutes his phone.

He hears them whisper.

It takes them twenty-three minutes to move.

They are so awkward.

Dash continues his unwanted and never-asked-for extra credit project… he knows that after the first test he would need it.

After an hour of work Dash only had a line for his paper.

'Congress seems great as a concept, but in irl sucks.'

The blonde sighs and shivers again, wishing he had got a hoodie before leaving this morning.

"Cold?" Danny Phantom asks suddenly next to him. Dash almost falls from his sit and looks at the hero in his uniform.

"Fen- Phantom?" Dash says rubbing his arms in a fail intent of producing some warm.

"What are you doing?" Danny says looking a little pissed.

"Homework. Well, extra credit. You should know." Dash says and his suspicions are confirmed when Danny looks surprised and guilty.

"Why would-" Danny starts but Dash doesn't feel like talking circles, and is what they would do if he allows Danny to speak more than two sentences in a row.

"You would know because you stay after class too! And listen to my private conversation with Mrs. Cloudy-Weather." Danny looks down, a little ashamed maybe.

"I needed to make sure you hadn't return to your old tricks! Dash you can't-"

"No. You said we won't look at each other, you are hold to the same standards even if _you think_ you had a moral obligation to keep me from cheating or not." Danny opens his mouth but Dash is great at speaking over people.

"You don't see me following you around in P.E. to make sure you are not using your powers to cheat. And is not because I trust you to not used your powers, but because I'm not your babysitter and you are not mine!" Dash frowns and for a moment Danny is speechless.

"Sorry… No. You had a record Dash, I'm a superhero. Do not try to teach me about moral compass!" Danny says and Dash stands so fast his chair falls. The hero swallows, Dash doesn't know why -he is sure Danny could beat him up if he pleases.

A 'shh' can be heard from the other room.

"Sorry!" Danny says towards the old lady he can't see.

Dash has to looks up to Danny, since the ghost boy was levitating a little higher. How didn't he ever noticed that Danny Phantom was Danny Fenton. The silver hair floats like it was underwater, his green eyes glow with and they glimmer when he chances his mind, Dash can swear to that.

"I'm sorry I had a record." Dash says unsure of what he means, unsure if he means it, unsure if it would mean anything to the ghost boy.

Danny eyes widen, and his mouth forms words without a sound. A neon green blush colors his cheeks.

"I'm sorry about what she said." Danny finally says.

Dash remember Mrs. Merryweather 'Well, with this writing - it can't be from someone else!' She smiled like she had told a joke.

"I don't care" Dash answers a little too fast, really wishing he hasn't burn most of his anger in his morning run -now he was too sore to be mad.

Dash didn't know why Danny move closer, but he close his laptop worry that Danny would read his one liner. But instead he found himself surrounded by a pair of cold hands. Danny closes his eyes, his long silver eyelashes fan delicately over his cheeks, and he moves closer until his lips rest lightly over Dash's.

The blonde tilts his head and pecks little kisses from Danny, the ghost moves closer pressing his whole body. Dash tries to carrie him but the other is so light -is like trying to catch air.

The kisses are sweet, and Dash is sure they mean something -he can tastes it, but he had never learn it's name.

Slowly both men separate each other in a long slow process that requires many little kisses and caress.

"Sorry" Danny says still with one hand tangle in the now messy blonde hair, and the other resting over Dash's chest.

"Don't be" Dash hurries to answer still kissing Danny's jaw and neck.

"Dash?" Danny says as he closes his eyes to better concentrated in the warm lips leaving a trail of kisses on the curved of his neck.

"Mmm?" Answers the jock while he holds Danny's face with one hand and licks over the cold lips.

"We -" Danny is interrupted by a kiss, and the hero doesn't had the heart to stop Dash when he is trying so hard. Dash carries Danny, and he moves with the intention of using the wall as support but distracted with his mouth on Danny he accidentally kicks the fallen chair in the floor.

"Shhh" Comes from another room.

"Sorry!" Danny answers breaking the kiss. Both teens wait a second to see if the old librarian would come and check on them, when she doesn't. They turn to stare at each other.

"We are doing it again!" Danny whispers and hisses at the same time.

"You kissed me!" Dash says with his too-smug expression.

"That's not the problem here!" Danny whispers and Dash smiles like an idiot. Danny can't help but smile a little as well, Dash has the type of smile that should be in commercials; big, with perfect rows of white teeth and only slightly crooked.

"Since when?" The jock teases as he squeezes the nerd he is carrying.

"Concentrate!" Danny blushes, and Dash nods with the same stupid smile.

"We can't keep doing this!" Danny says.

"But you just said-" Dash hurries to complain a little to loud and Danny puts his hand on the blondes mouth.

His hands are cold.

"In public places! Where people could easily walk on us…" Dash blushes and Danny looks away as he continues to speak.

"Oh." Dash answers.

"Oh?!" Danny presses. What 'oh' means.

'Oh' was what Dash's father told him when he told him, well, when seven year old Dash told his dad that a girl wanted to marry him but she needed it to wait and see if this other boy was still single. His dad had laugh and said 'Oh, son. Baxter are always and only first choice. Eat her candy and then let the little whore cry.' Dash mother had scolded his dad.

"You want to be each other's booty call" Dash translated. They could use each other, enjoy fleeting moments of lust when no one is around, and leave -both can pick up whatever they break separately.

"No! Just that if you think or I think we are going to make out, then we should move to a … more private place."

"That sounds a lot like a booty call." Dash teases.

"Well-" Danny starts ready to fight.

"I'm in" Dash says with a smile. He is okay with this.

"Oh." Danny can only answer.

"Oh?" Dash imitates with a little giggle.

"I need to go." Danny says flying through Dash.

"Okay" Danny listens Dash said before he is too far.

He shouldn't just go.

'Booty call' was his idea.

But it felt so wrong, Danny wasn't that type of guy. He was not the type of guy that is okay making out without any strings attached, specially if the person in question is Dash Baxter

But he could had fool himself.

The hero flies through the library ceiling, and lets the wind guide him to whatever the wind felt like taking him.

Danny doesn't like Dash… At least not in a personal level. The jock was hot, very hot, but he only had 1 brain cell and that 1 brain cell could only come with insults -terrible insults, but insults none less. Yet, Dash could make sense in occasions.

"Oh God!" Danny says as the weight of the situation starts to settle. He made out with Dash Baxter, for a third time, and this time Danny initiated it. And Danny was asking the guy that made his life miserable if he wanted to make out in a regular basis.

"Rrrr!" The hero tries to forget Dash's smile, and his warm breath over his sensitive skin.

"I need to cool down." Danny says as he descends to a Jamba juice near by.

The ghost boy keeps trying to come with a reason of why he keeps making out with the biggest jerk he knows. He passes through the glass doors and waits in line.

The girl in front of him squeals, she is pretty.

She asks for his autograph and kisses his cheek.

Danny remembers when Dash used to be such huge fan, his biggest fan… but Danny guessed that the jock could not admired Danny Phantom and hate Danny Fenton -maybe both sentiments cancel each other out.

"Hi! How may I help you?" The guy in the orange t-shirt across the counter asks.

"White gummy bear, large, please." Danny asks and moves to the side, sure that the guy doesn't need to ask for his name. Plus, he doesn't had to paid. Jamba juice rewards their local hero with a weekly free juice.

Danny is a hero, and there are expectations for heros.

Danny is expect to be good, a role model, hard working, with morals higher than the moon, always time and a smiles for the town, and he is supposed to be a respectable person.

The teen groans again, he was doing great, he was the hero Amity Park wanted it and need it.

Heros don't make out with their enemies.

Danny smiles as he picks his drink, and flies away after a quick 'thank you.'

The taste is a little more tart than usual, quite fitting for the hero's predicament.

Heros don't enjoy kissing bad guys.

Danny flies throughout the city on a afternoon patrol, and finds nothing to heroically take care of -an rare calm afternoon.

Of course, when he would welcome an easy distraction all ghost had decided to take a free afternoon.

The hero returns to his home, entering through his bedroom window and lets his human body drop on his bed.

He is tired, he lets his eyes close and his mind wonder.

He just needs to sleep it off his problems…

"DANNY!" Danny stands up at the sound of his mother screaming his name, the teen sees a shadow across his room -'someone is inside,' his brain whispers and Danny doesn't questions it he jumps. The human jumps off his bed, transforms as run through the door, his heart is no longer beating but he can feel his chest pounding with fear.

"MOM!" The teen calls as he looks through the house, why didn't he look through the house before entering. The hero stops in front of his mother, relief flowing his body when he sees her standing there -mad and holding a dirty t-shirt, but she was there.

"Danny! I know you had a tough job, but please, try to avoid dirting your clothes like this!" His mother complains, but stops when she see her son on his hero cloths and smiling.

"Danny? Is every-"

"Sorry! Oh, I just came from my patrols" Danny says as he de-transforms.

"... Just be more careful, okay, baby" Mandy continues, feeling something was odd but unable to recognize what it was. But she is sure Danny could deal with it, he is a tough kid.

"Yeah" Danny says calmer, and he looks at the t-shirt that his mother was holding. It has grass stains in the back.

The teen could feel his face blush as he remembers the night in the park with Dash Baxter.

Dash Baxter's warn body over his.

Danny was sent to bed by his mother who was worry the teen might be catching a cold. The teen didn't opposed and made his way under his bed covers.

Maybe he was getting sick.

Danny wanted to blame everything on Dash Baxter, but even he could recognize how far fecth that was.

Actually, it might be the opposite.

The part-time hero was truly happy that he was able to help his city as Danny Phantom, but Danny Phantom was half dead. Danny Phantom had been lost in the ghost zone, he had fight the death. People who at some point had been alive, but would not rest, would never rest. When Danny Phantom is done, would he rest? Or would someone had to fight him. He had cross the line between the living and the dead so many times -something he wonders if he had loss a little of his right to reside between the living.

And as years pass Danny Fenton could feel the stress weighing down on his head and body, he had thing to … deal with, but he was not ready.

Maybe he was allow a little … distraction.

The teen closed his eyes, and he convinces himself that is okay to get a little _distracted_ , to fool around, and that he deserve it.

He would talk to Dash tomorrow.


	2. Regrets at an early age

Regrets at an early age.

Chapter 2

Danny meant to talk to Dash monday after school, but at exactly 12: 32 -when he was midway through his sloppy joe, a dragon ghost attacked the city's commercial site. On Tuesday the city was attacked by a gang of ghost motorcycle riders that wanted to take over the town. On Wednesday Danny had his first math test -which he completely forgot about. Thursday Danny had an ASL presentation and had to defended a kid from a curse he brought upon himself by stealing flowers from a grave -the disrespect for the death this days!

On Friday Danny was too tired to go talk to the pretty blonde.

"You look awful!" Tucker said as he walks with Danny and Sam to the Fenton residency. Sam hits the teen and smiles at Danny.

"Busy week, ah?" but Danny is too tired to respond to either, he just groans and hurries his pace when he sees his house.

"Yeah." Tucker answers for Danny.

"Are you guys still coming tomorrow to watch movies?" Sam asks, but the question was for Danny, Tucker nods, and Danny hugs his house's door before opening.

"Yeah a get it!" Sam says in good nature before she and Tucker turn to walk to their houses.

"Get some sleep Zombie boy!" Tucker screams, and Danny smiles.

He has good friends.

Danny drags his feet on an over the top gesture of how tired he is, mostly because he can, but also to bother Jazz who is in the kitchen. It had always bother her when Danny drags his feet, but the young woman seen a little more than … worry. Danny was about to ask if she was okay, as soon as he gains some motivation, but Jazz asks him first.

"Are you hurt?"

"No" Danny hurries to assure his big sister.

"Are you sure?" Jazz stands from her place in the table, and Danny straightens up. 'Is she going to hug him?'

"Yes. I'm sure!" Danny says taken back by the sudden concern when he is only being dramatic.

"Then Pick Up The PACE!" Jazz hurries him, but Danny walks even slower.

"Like… this." He asks without moving.

"Danny! I. I have a student to tutor!"

"Or like this!" Danny asks as he walks backwards.

"He would be here any second… and I don't think you want to be here…" Jazz explains looking more exasperated by the second.

"Oh. A cute boy!" Danny teases almost ready to go.

"How could you think I could be that unprofessional!" Jazz says, and Danny laughs. The doorbell rings.

Danny would had run away, not really wanting to see anyone but his bed right now, but the lack of movement from Jazz spikes his curiosity.

The doorbell rings again, but Jazz just acts like she hasn't heard it and moves her books and tutoring materials around.

Danny moves to the door when the doorbell rings a third time. He opens the door to find the pretty boy he didn't had the energy to talk to standing there with his backpack over his shoulder.

"I thought… you had swim practice…" is the only thing that Danny can say and that won't sound weird or too exposing, so he says it.

"The school is cleaning the pool." Dash answers.

"Oh?" Danny says and closes the door on Dash's face.

"Danny!" Jazz exclaims hurrying to open the door.

"How unprofessional, you know he has a crush!" Danny taunts unsure of why he is suddenly ready for a fight. He would fight Dash right here, right now. Jazz can be the referee.

"He got over it! And he needs urgent help for a french test." Jazz assures her brother.

"Ha! He isn't even taking french!" Danny points at Jazz like he just discovered the answer to a big conspiracy plot, he doesn't bother to wonder why he knows each class that Dash is taking.

"He is taking it online at the community college." Jazz explains while rolling her eyes.

"Well…" Danny starts but he has nothing to say.

"I know you two had a… thing. But he asked me for help, and I was just so proud that one of my old pupils had grown so much!" Jazz smiles.

"Old pupils? You are 21!" Danny fights and he can feel his cheeks heating up, they don't had a thing.

The doorbell rings again, and Jazz opens the door.

Danny looks at Dash who is trying not to look at him.

Danny disappears and flies away.

"Sorry about that" He hears Jazz said.

Danny tries to sleep, to ignore what is going on one floor under. He was so tired a moment ago, but he can't help but worry.

What if in the week Danny didn't talk to Dash the boy change his mind. Or if all of it was a big joke to Dash, or a big plot to get to a different Fenton.

It doesn't make sense, but Danny's brain doesn't care.

Danny tosses and turns on his bed, and half an hour later he decides is hopeless to try to sleep when Dash is so close.

He knows that when he can't sleep, then trying is on vain until the end of the week…

The teen angrily moves to his window, and waits.

It takes 20 more minutes for Dash to walk out of the door, and out on the street.

Danny transforms and flies out of the window, becoming invisible to the eye he floats next to Dash.

The blonde looks tired, and defeat it. A tale sign that the study section didn't go great.

"I thought you hate it french?" Danny starts and Dash moves his head but he can't find anyone.

"You are so dumb!" Danny whispers in Dash's ear, and the jock blushes in embarrassment.

"And you are an *sshole with an hero complex!" Dash answers a little loud, an old lady looks at the boy funny but she continues with her walk, and Dash hurries his steps.

Danny follows him, feeling a little guilty yet amuse by the scene.

Dash takes out his phone and places in his ear like he was making a phone call.

"Hey" Dash says into his phone, and Danny understands that the jock doesn't want people thinking he is talking to himself.

"I thought you were done with french?" Danny continues and he can't help to feel like he is trying to catch Dash in a lie.

"I failed the last two semesters. I'm taking in college." Dash says and his cheeks get redder.

"Suck to be you!" Danny says happily, and Dash rolls his eyes.

"Whatever!"

Dash keeps walking, his ear paste to his phone, like if he keeps it close enough Danny would not leave again.

"I'm sorry about leaving." Danny finally says, remembering last week at the library. Dash most think he is a huge jerk.

"Whatever…" Dash says softer. Dash does think Danny is a huge jerk.

"I had meaning to talk to you the whole week… but I had been busy." Dash's interest seem picked.

"About what?" Dash turns like he is looking for Danny.

"About… About what we talk that time."

"The time you run away like a f*(#ing coward?" Dash clarifies.

"Firstable, I already said 'sorry.' And it is a hard thing to get into." Danny talks between his teeth.

"Haha, how funny. You don't seem to had problems getting into it, though." Dash says a light hearted as he can, but Danny knows that if the blonde could, then he would be screaming.

"You used to make my life a hell! I have to had second thoughts!" Danny tries to defend himself.

"Sorry about that…" Dash tries.

"Let's not even go there!" Danny stops him, because if they start they might not end that discussion.

"I know I used to be-"

"No."

"Listen -"

"Nope, no. No." Danny insists, and Dash goes silence.

The boys keep moving, they see a patch of people coming and they had to wait until they are gone.

"So. Are we doing this?" Danny asks.

"I don't know, you tell me." Dash answers.

"Is just… This is going to be hard." Danny wines.

"... Pun intended…?" Dash smiles.

"You are not helping!" Danny says, and tries to reason with himself but he is not sure what he wants… he knows what he wants but is not the type of thing he can say a loud.

"It doesn't had to be." Dash says.

Danny glares at him but Dash doesn't know, and he takes the silence as encouragement to continue.

"We don't need to like each other, we don't even need to care about each other." Dash explains, a young girl overheard him and she feels sorry for him.

Danny is silence, that sound like such hollow relationship.

"We can find each other to be super hot!" Dash says with a big smile.

"I don't know if I would used the word 'super'" Danny tries to light the atmosphere, but maybe is only him having problems with the concept.

"I'm being generous with you!" Dash jokes, but he can't hear the other laugh, his courage is leaving him fast.

Dash stops, he is in front of his house.

He waits but Danny says nothing, so the human unlocks the door and enters his home. He acts like he just finish a phone call when he see his mother.

"Who was that?" She asks curious.

"Kwan" Dash lies with ease.

"Oh, he such nice young man. Is he coming over?" Dash's mom asks, but her son is already climbing the stair.

"Nah. He has a thing with Alex." Dash says before entering his room.

He looks at he bedroom, and feels chill on his back.

He looks at his phone and drops it on his bed.

The blonde breaths in and out.

He tries really hard not to think about what he offer to Danny or the fact that Danny left again.

"Stupid." He whispers to himself unaware that Danny had invited himself in.

He takes out his beloved letterman jacket and places on the hanger right away. Is not the first time that Danny is in Dash's bedroom, but he is always surprise of the contrast between the jock and his room.

Dash's room is impressively clean, pepper with cute stuff animals -mainly bears, the are coordinated; one wall has only sports poster, second wall only singers or celebrities, third wall is covered with different poster of places like Paris, New York, Amazons and others, the last wall had pictures of friends and the blonde.

In comparison the last wall is almost naked.

Why? When Dash is always surrounded with people.

"Wow!" Danny says when he sees the blonde taking of his pants. Dash surprised tries to find the person in his room, but with his pants around his thighs the blonde falls.

"Danny?!" Dash asks suddenly shy of the body he is usually so shameless and proud.

"Hey. Did I said that already? Hi, then." Danny says and Dash stands up.

The teen looks good like that. His large torso exposed, the defined lines on his body instructing Danny where to touch, the strong tights that should be showcase and share with the world, the tight light pink boxers Dash wear that thankfully left little to the imagination.

"Hi, you little creep" Dash replays crossing his arms over his chest.

"Uhg? So the deal is off" Danny makes himself visible and tries to imagine he is not blushing too strongly, but by the smirk that Dash has on his stupidly attractive face Danny knows he must be an unflattering shade of neon green.

"We don't need to play nice." Dash says and steps off his jeans and kicks them away. Danny tries to not think too much of what Dash might be thinking.

"Good, because I don't think I can be nice to you longer than 5 minutes!" Danny says floating closer.

"Good thing I don't care." Dash answers like he is trying to top Danny's apathy with his own.

"Good." The ghost says and the two light rings appear around his waist transforming him into a simple human teen.

Danny stands in front of Dash, and suddenly he remembers he had never been in this situation before.

The almost naked blonde moves away from Danny, and locks the door. Danny hears the click and his brain is working at maximum speed trying to find an excuse, but he can't think of anything.  
Danny had been under stress but this is not spontaneous, they had been dancing around the… issue for over a month. Danny had follow Dash into his room, and Dash was barely dress…

If Danny kisses Dash now there is no coming back. Then the deal would be silently sign, and backing up is against the rules.

The jock moves towards Danny, who steps back.

"Are we doing this?!" Dash asks needing to do something before he could start thinking, or worse before Danny could start thinking and called the whole thing off.

"Yeah! But…" Danny assures the jock as he walks further away from him, and almost trips with the bed.

"So?" Dash asks as he climbs the bed.

"Aren't you doing to shower?" Danny asks and Dash moves back as he tries to subtly sniff himself.

"Are you saying I stink?" Offended, but mostly embarrassed.

"Well… Yes" Danny lies

"You made out with me when I was sweaty after a run, twice. So don't try to act like it bothers you!" Dash almost screams embarrassed and a little ashame. He leaves his bed and collects his towel, cloths and hairbrush, and he glares at Danny one last time before entering his bathroom.

"Well, now we had rules!" Danny says red, even though he is sure Dash can't hear him.

Danny breathed deeply trying to figure out if what is happening is what he really wants.

Buddy call.

Sex buddies.

Convenience lover.

The teen had never been a romantic but he thought he would be with someone who felt something for him, or at the very least to like him.

Danny sits on Dash's bed and listens the water run. The coward on Danny wants to leave before Dash comes out of the shower, but he wants to kiss Dash at least once.

It had been almost a whole week.

The mostly-human teen busies himself with Dash's many teddy bears, and tries to mentally prepare himself for … something.

They need to talk.

As Danny thinks of what would their limits be, when would they meet, what if someone knows -because Danny doesn't even know if he can keep secrets from his friends…physical secrets at least.

If he really wants this.

The door opens and Dash comes out of the bathroom dripping water.

Danny curses how easily he gets lost on time and tries to clear his mind, he needs to think.

The blonde moves and Danny can only wait sitting on the bed. Dash looks so natural, he is wearing his blue jeans, his black t-shirt, his hair combed and still wet, when he sits next to Danny he irradiates warm, he smell like cinnamon.

Dash looks unfazed by Danny's doubts, he seem comfortable like this is not his first time.

There is silence for what it felt like an millenium.

"We don't have to…" Finally Dash speaks, and Danny feels like breathing has become an easier task.

The silence returns, and Dash stands up to unlock the door. Danny follows him, not wanting to wait on the bed any longer.

"Dash…This is really weird." Danny says and he hopes the Dash would be reasonable.

"I was the one making out with the ghost. That was weird!" The blonde jokes.

Danny glares at the other who just smiles.

"I don't know you -not like this. I don't know what to expect!" Danny presses on the issue.

"Well, I had a similar problem." Dash answers half joking.

"I just want to know that we can make out, respect each other, and keep hating the other….without messing up!" Danny finally says, and saying aloud his worries makes them seem more real. Makes it more real.

The… Affair?

"I can trust you and you can trust me on the hating part." Dash answers unsure of how to proceed with the heavy atmosphere.

"I know that. I- That part doesn't worry me." Danny says and he hopes he doesn't had to explain it in more detail.

"...I wouldn't hurt you. But if I did, then you can beat me up." Dash says as honestly as he can.

"I don't want to need to beat you up! I don't want to fight you." Danny hisses, feeling like he doesn't has the patience to finish this conversation.

"I wouldn't hurt you, okay. Not physically or emotionally or your reputation. I won't tell anyone, I won't make fun of things I know are too much." Dash says softly.

"Really?" Danny asks looking at the blonde's trouble expressing.

"Do I had to promised?" Dash asks only partially joking. Danny moves closer and captures Dash's right hand and lifts it.

"Yes!" Danny says feeling a smile forming on his face. Dash frees his hand and rolls his eyes, but he smiles when he looks at Danny.

"I won't be an *sshole -wait no!" Dash starts but he knows he will be at some point.

"You would cease to exists" Danny mock-ponders like they had been discussing philosophy.

"Haha. Take this seriously!" Dash jokes as he playfully pushes Danny.

"I am. I going to promised right after you!" Danny explains and Dash looks at him surprised. Danny wonders for a moment if Dash thought that only Danny got to put conditions.

"Okay then. I promise I'll be good. I won't …rush you, hurt you or question you. Also, I won't tell people. Cross my heart and hope to die." Dash says and draws a cross over his heart.

"My turn. I promise I'll stop leaving without telling you-"

"Thank you" Dash interrupts.

"At least that I had to!" Danny remembers to add.

"Of course." Dash says and rolls his eyes.

"As I was saying. I promise to not just leave, to not tell anyone, and not be an *sshole." Danny swears with his right hand.

"Satisfied?" Dash asks as he puts his hands around Danny's waist.

"Like it was so bad!" Danny answers before kissing Dash. A feeling of relief and bliss flows through him. Danny was surprise of how much he missed to kiss Dash.

The smaller teen pushes his tongue inside the other's mouth, Dash happily lets Danny explore his mouth as he gropes Danny's back and *ss.

The jock lifts Danny with ease and chuckles at the small squeak Danny makes. The blonde continues to kiss Danny and the other hugs Dash's hips with his legs, Danny moans at the welcome pressure on his groin against Dash's lower stomach. Danny squeaks a second time when he feels the door against his back, and Dash smiles and kisses the dark-haired teen's neck. The teen wonders if Dash plans to constantly pin him against something, but before he could make his doubts vocal Danny feels Dash erection against his own.

Both teens jerk their hips as they press against each other experimentally, each time more bold than the last.

Danny plays with Dash's hair and lightly pulls on the blonde strands as he kisses and bites his mouth. The blonde focuses on his self assigned job of pressing his groin against Danny's. Even through the cloths the contact was overwhelming and addicting, with each thrust the blonde could only think of doing it again, and Danny encourages him with kisses and bites.

A knock on the door stops both teens faster than cold water could had.

"Honey, are you jumping on the bed?" A sweet voice asks and the doorknock moves but the door is heavied by the weight of Danny and Dash against it.

"No! I -I'm" Dash hurries to think of an excuse and Danny disappears.

The ghost mouths a 'sorry,' but Dash can't see him.

"Why are you holding the door?" Dash's mother asks while theories are formulated on her head.

"Oh." Dash opens the door after quickly checking that his pants had no surprises for him. Mrs. Baxter enters the room and looks at her son with a confused look.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes! I'm doing with Kwan." Dash hurries to agree.

"Didn't he had a thing with… Brandon… Alex?" She tries to remember, unsure with whom but sure that her son had said something along those lines earlier.

"Yes. But they bail. Suckers." Dash smiles and continues little calmer.

"Language! But, darling what were you doing?"

"Exercises, a new one is called the - the spider crawl… -er climb ." Dash smiles a little wider.

"... And how were you banging the door?" Mrs. Baxter asks truly curious.

"Let me show you!" Dash says as he curses that now was the moment in which his mother thought to begin to had an interest on his work outs.

"Okay!" Mrs. Baxter answers and moves inside her son's bedroom to let him close the door, and demonstrate.

"Look." Dash gets on a plank position and starts the spider crawl by bring in one of his legs as forwards as he is able to, them he repeats the process with the other leg until he reaches the door. He uses the door as leverage, he makes sure to make plenty of noise as he climbs the door. Once he is on a standing position he reverses the process.

He stands satisfied with his new personal altered spider crawl and looks at his mother.

"I guess you can only do that on private." She concludes and pats her son's cheek when he frowns, and she leaves the room.

"There is no shame on staying on shape!" Dash says aloud hurt by his mother commentary.

"Really. 'Cause I wouldn't be caught dead doing that on public!" Danny says and reappears.

"First, is a good exercise for balance and core. Also, you are kind of dead already. And, that disappearing thing is going to be very useful!" Dash says as he texts Kwan.

"I feel like your sentences were on the wrong order… What are you doing?" Danny asks even though he can see what Dash is doing.

"We need to keep up appearances." Dash explains and Danny only nods.

That's right.

They are on that type of secret shameful shallow relationship.

An affair.

No one should ever know, because it never happen.

They try not to think too hard about it.

Or to not think about it at all.

It works.

They don't see each other over the weekend. Is for the best, both teens had too many things to consider -they had a lot of self-explaining to do, so they can believe 'this' is a good idea, though is too late to chicken out now.

Monday it was too hot to think. Though summer vacations had come and gone, summer had taken its time to really settle on Amity Park, and the season had hit hard. It was mid september and it was 10 degrees too hot to do anything. The students groan and stare at the air conditioner, the machine had been set to the highest setting and only hit the back row.

Sam looks at the back row with resentment, that could had been her -but no, she wanted to be a good student… No that wasn't it. She wanted to keep Danny away from Dash. The goth could feel her eyeliner sliding off her face and she turns to her friend; Danny. But the boy seen strangely calm and cool.

"Wow." Sam exclaims an equally sarcastic and cautious nature.

"What?" Danny wonders as he shifts his attention from his doodles of hands to Sam.

"You really bury the hatchet…" Sam says not really believing what she sees.

"What?!" Danny asks truly confused.

"Is hot! Is burning! I'm Dying. Dying, Danny!" Sam explains, but her friend doesn't seen less confuse.

"...okay" Danny agrees not really caring about his best friend make up problems at the moment.

"And you are not glaring at Dash!" Sam concludes and Danny turns on disbelieve. He knew at some point Sam or Tucker would question him about his change on behavior, but he was still not prepare for when -but definitely not today.

"WHAT?!" Danny screams surprised.

"Mr. Fenton, do you had something to share with the class?" The teacher asks tired of the heat and of the students.

"No…" Danny tries to smile which actually works because his teacher didn't even scold him for using his words instead of ASL.

"No even teachers can muster enough energy to do stuff." Sam says and she lets her head hit her book.

Danny turns and looks at Sam who seen too tired to continue interrogating Danny. And against his better judgement Danny continues the conversation.

"Is it really _that_ hot?" Danny asks his friend but the whole class thought they were being addressed as thier heads turn to the haft dead boy's direction. People on the back ask 'what did he said?' and then stare at Danny like the 8th wonder -which he kind of is, but for different reasons.

Sam peels her face from the book, literary peels the book of and the noise is a like of a very sticky band aid, the light imprint of Sam's eyebrows were left on the white page of the book. Danny laughs a little but is stop by the almost glares of the classroom.

"Are you joking?" A freshman finally asks, but Danny only shakes his head and before he could asks why was everyone so serious he feels a hand on his naked stomach.

"AAACCCKkkkkk…." Danny looks at Sam who is rubbing her face against his chest. He whispers something about eyebrows on his white t-shirt but Sam doesn't seem to care. Finally she releases her friend.

"Is like hugging the sea!" The goth informs the rest of the class, and the students near Danny take the new information as an invitation to touch Danny.

"Hey!" Danny screams and he fights of the curious hands, a blush growing on his face.

"That's enough!" The teacher moves the students away and pats Danny's shoulder on an intent to calm the student.

"Yeah!" Danny agrees.

"It seems that for known reasons Danny phantom is a little more immune to the heat, that doesn't give anyone has the right to use him as an air condicionador." The teacher says and hopes the students feel a little shame for their actions.

"Thanks" Danny says and then he looks that the hand resting on his shoulder, it takes a little too long for the teacher to release Danny but the boy is simply happy that whatever that was, it was over.

The bell rings and Danny is the first one out, he stands on the hall waiting for Sam.

"I can't move on this heat." Sam says once they are close enough.

"It is really that bad?" Danny asks and Sam simply points around them. Kids wearing the smallest cloths that school would allow, sweat stains on almost everyone's clothes, the smell of warm sweat and regret fill the halls, and everyone walks defeated to whatever they are going.

"Okay … I see it" Danny agrees and feels Sam on his side.

"This is weird" Danny says, not used to being hug unless is a life or death thing, but he just brush it off and walks while dragging Sam.

It takes a little for Sam to return to her normal self and to question what is going on.

"Danny?" The goth asks as they approach the point where they separate.

"Uh?" Danny acknowledges her but he is more concentrated trying to figure out what is the people around them saying… rumors travel fast on this high school.

"Did you do that -the cool body thing- on purpose?" Sam asks while Danny is too busy trying to hear the new rumors to understand where is his friend going.

"No! If I knew I could had done that I would had done it last year, and not feel that awful heat. That was a bad heat wade." Danny answers truthfully as he remembers when they bought a kiddy pool and fill it with ice cubes.

"So, you can't control it?" Sam asks as she looks at Danny who looks fresh like spring, but the goth can't take out of her head the idea that that is a bad thing.

"Maybe I'm getting a new power…?" Danny says not really believing it but hating not having any options.

"...Maybe you should talk to Vlad…" Sam offers but that only makes Danny run.

"I gonna be late." The half-dead kid says and runs to his class.

That class felt slower than ever with the heat heaving everyone's movements. Every so often the teen would feel the hands of the kid who sits behind him on his back, Danny keeps pushing him.

Baseball practice was canceled and Danny frowns.

The baseball team had a weird feud with the basketball team and they wouldn't cancel unless the other did.

Either team cancel last year, and it was a bad heat wave.

Danny ignores whatever that meant, and only complains once he reaches the gym to learn that even with the heat his class will still exercise.

"This is cruel and unjust!" Tucker screams behind Danny and returns to rub his face on Danny's back.

"This is weird" Danny says again.

"Shhhh~" Tucker continues until their P.E teacher is screaming to stop making out and start moving.

The exercises were pretty light, stretches and abdominals, an easy day anyday but on summer as the gym's air was thick with sweat and humidity. Every 2 seconds someone was complaining of the heat.

Danny stopped himself from asking if 'it is that bad?' a third time. He just lets Tucker complain, and touch his cold cold skin.

The teacher lets the class ends earlier and they are allow to talk to each other until the bell rings.

"I can't wait until we get out of here. It stinks!" Tuckers says and Danny smiles. He can work with that.

"I know! Is like they had never wash they place" Danny says and pinches his nose. The continue to talk until the bell rings. Danny carries Tucker out, because they really want to get out as fast as possible.

They text Sam that they are waiting at her house, because she is rich and has a better AC than anyone on the city.

When Sam makes it she is too tired to question Danny about his possible new powers, and too mad to care.

"I can't believe you made me walk!" Sam screams and Danny can only hang his head in shame, but is better than having Sam asking questions he doesn't had the answers to.

"Sorry…" both male teens whisper.

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it!" Sam growls, is her house -they ditch her to go to her house -the nerve. Eventually with petty pretty promises they gain forgiveness.

Danny spends the afternoon there until night comes, and then he call his parents to ask to stay longer.

He tells Tucker about the eyebrows incident and Sam hides her face in embarrassment, and everything is okay until is not.

Danny can't fall asleep.

Is not the first time Danny can't fall asleep, lately he needs to be really tired to fall asleep. It takes 2 or 3 battles or 1 battle and a few finals, is not secret. But that was the first night he acts like he was asleep for his friends. He didn't want to worry them with 2 things at the time.

Tuesday comes and Danny half heartedly agrees every time his friends say is hot. There are no clouds on the sky, it must be hot.

Once they enter school he can feel eyes on him, neither Sam or Tucker move from his side -each hugging an arm.

People being to approach them, well Danny.

Without shame or subdulty Danny is offer many brides to becomes someone else personal AC.

Tucker and Sam took upon them to stop Danny's suiters.

Homework; no thank you.

Fancy food; so tacky.

Expensive clothes; but cheap taste.

Free theater tickets; good try.

"Move people!" Finally Sam and Tucker scream, and make way for them.

"Wow, thank you guys. So. Very. Selfless." Danny playfully glares.

"You can always count on us." Tucker smiles, and both teens press their heads against Danny. The half-dead can feel their warm and it makes the day a little more bearable, but his friends need to go, they had classes and so does Danny.

Danny reaches his English classroom, and he doesn't fight the pair of hands the keep touching his arm. He lets that *sshole Meridith used him as a AC, he hates her but he likes the warm.

He doesn't fight Meredith's little sister Lexie or her annoying friends during history class.

Last class, government, he tell Mrs. Merryweather that he doesn't mind them -the students that want to cold down, when she tries to shoo them away.

They are just hot, and Danny is just cold -it makes sense if Danny doesn't think about it. Too busy trying not to think the teen misses the pair of blue eyes that keep glaring.

The class is over and now Danny doesn't want to students to touch him, he just needs to find Sam or Tucker.

He wants human warm.

He walks out of the classroom when someone bumps into him so strongly he almost falls, but the teen has better strength and equilibrium that he did on his freshman year. Also he hasn't been bump that hard at school since his freshman year, so with a weird sense of deja vu he turns around to see Dash moving past him.

No apology need it because it wasn't an accident.

The blonde glares at Danny and continues to walk. Danny waits until there is a respectable distance between them to follow.

Dash would do.

Danny can _use_ him as a heater.

That's the type of relationship they had.

They ignore the anger as Dash walks inside the gym.

"This place stinks." Danny spats out, decided not to mention about the intentional 'bump' earlier but still pissed about.

"Get use to it." Dash answers as he tries to not be affected by the heat. Danny nods and moves to hold Dash. The blonde shivers at the contact and Danny smikers.

"Colder than expected?" The hatf-dead boy asks before he kisses Dash warm mouth.

The blonde doesn't answer, he only kisses back and holds Danny. The thick hands unapologetic travel under Danny's t-shirt, and hold him roughly, unable to stop the treatment Danny only whimpers and continues to kiss Dash. The warm mouth becomes more aggressive as Dash begins to bite the lower lip and Danny's chin. He cups Danny's butt and pushes his leg between Danny's parte thighs. Danny whimpers again and feels the growing warm on his groin, and he can feel his hips being hold in place by Dash's large hand. The wall against his back was a surprise, Danny doesn't remember if they move to reach the wall or they were standing next it to begin with, but the only thing that matters is that the wall is cold and it robs Danny from whatever little warm is body can produce. While Dash is warm, he irradiates lust and want and heat. Danny moves forwards needing more contact, and he moves as Dash's leg raises between his thighs.

"This is better, isn't it?" Dash asks over Danny's lips before kissing him again. Danny moans on the blondes hot mouth, and rubs his groin on Dash's leg. _That is better_. Danny thinks, but he doesn't care or knows what it means, maybe because it means nothing.

The dark haired teen stops having climax in a sad moment.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Danny answers more to himself but Dash seem to take the words personal.

They stay quiet after that.

Danny lets Dash finish by trusting his hips against Danny's leg, because it would be too selfish to walk off.

They make a new rule; both of them need to cum at least once.

They don't have anything to say afterwards.

So they signal each other 'bye,' and leave.

Danny walks through the mostly empty halls, until he feels vibration on his left pocket.

He fishes out his phone and sees the 12 messages he had missed.

He tries to think of a believable excuse to text but before he could come up with something he hears his name being shout.

"Danny! Where had you been?" Tucker asks as he hugs him.

"We were worry-" Sam starts to speak but she is cut by Tucker.

"Eww! You are sweaty… cold and sweaty." Tucker says and looks at Danny confused.

"Oh … I-" Danny tries to make an excuse but nothing comes to his mind.

"That's good" Sam says sounding relief and earning weird looks from her friends.

"Okay…I don't want to know" Tucker says slowly.

"Me neither." Danny agrees and moves slowly backwards.

"I mean….it seem like you were becoming immune to high temperatures, but you are just more resistant… there is a big difference." Sam explains and Tucker ignores the big concepts behind her words, and Danny only smiles on an away he hopes seem secure and it would reassure her.

He doesn't say that is most likely not his sweat because that's very very gross.

He doesn't say that he hasn't sweat on over a year, he pretends is a normal thing.

The week passes. People complain about the heat, Danny lets them used him as and AC when Sam and Tucker aren't around, and after school Danny uses Dash as a heater.

Is an strange unproductive cycle that ends when the temperature start to descend and the wind picks up.

Friday Dash texts Danny to meet him at the pool after his swimming practice.

Danny goes home after school and tells Sam and Tucker he feels sleepy. They know that lately Danny had been having problems falling asleep, so they had an unspoken rule that if Danny could go to sleep at any moment of the day he should and no one should disturb him. The human boy prepares his room, sealing his curtains with clothespins, towels at the bottom of the door, he unplugs all electronics, but he doesn't make a little dummy to sleep on his bed while he is away because he knows that no one would come in.

The human transforms into a ghost, and moves through the city without being seen. When he reaches the school pool the captain is talking to Dash, telling him to not work too hard and to close once he is done.

Danny waits until the captain leaves, and makes himself visible.

But Dash is too absorb on his training, as he reaches one end of the pool his body turns to change directions, his feet push the wall and his body moves forward and within the same second his arms are moving. Long arms that rhythmically slide the water to make way to his presence. Dash's mouth opens and barely breaths in enough air to finish the lap. His lungs are burning when he reaches the end of the pool and his body moves with years of training as he readies to continue another lap. Dash imagens that he is breaking records, that the next lap would take him to nationals, that ten more seconds would make him an early candidate to the olympics, two more laps and he could be on world's records, one last lap would make him a stronger person.

The blonde stands on the middle of the pool, his head dizzy and his mouth open, he breaths in until his lung had been full to their maximum capacity before releasing the air, he takes out his red cap and looks at the clock -not even close to breaking his last time.

He looks at the end of the pool, only three or four more seconds and he could had at least finish where he is suppose to finish.

Dash moves feeling a little nauseous with the taste of chlorine on his mouth, he reaches the end and unceremoniously drops his weight on the edge of the pool. The floor is gross and he hears clapping.

The jock turns and looks at Danny sitting on the bleachers clapping a little too enthusiastically.

"How are you no captain?" Danny asks sincerely as he jumps from the bleachers and falls near Dash unnaturally slow.

"Cute trick." Dash says as he straightened himself and remembers he asked Danny to come. He said they need to talk…

"You forgot about me?" Danny asks not really hurt.

"I didn't -I just got distracted it." Dash assure him as he moves out of the pool.

"I saw that. It was impressive!" Danny admits, and Dash smiles a little content smile.

"Now you see what a little practice can do!" Dash says as he moves his chest forward like a proud pigeon. He was happy with his time and effort because he felt like he had accomplished something.

"I know." Danny says remembering how fast he could feel the difference on his battles when he actually started training on the ghost zone. But he didn't want to think about that. Danny felt relax, at peace and he didn't want to fight with Dash -at least not now.

"Listen-" Dash starts but Danny stop him by putting a hand on his mouth.

"Can we talk a little before having to 'talk?'... I'm kinda of having a good time, and …." The ghost asks and the human nods.

Danny releases Dash's mouth.

"Some people might think that physically stopping someone from talking with your hand is annoying and a little degrading." Dash says as he moves to the bleachers, he sits and rubs his arms.

"...Sorry…" Danny says.

"Nah. I don't really mind." Dash replied with a grim.

Danny sits next to Dash close enough to talk but far enough to not touch. They stay very still for a few minutes, tasting the silence. It was not their usual silence, it was light, simple, unhurried but not slow.

"They put it to a vote." Dash says and Danny tilts his head on confusion.

"What?"

"The captain thing. You ask Fenton. They putted to vote because we are a democracy or something -it had never been to voted before, and I lost by a lot."

"Oh… Why?" Danny asks even though he knows he shouldn't, but there weren't any bad intentions behind his question and hopefully Dash would see that.

"...They said, my teammates, that I might had problems concentrating on everything. You know all the teams… they were not wrong…" Dash explains and Danny nods.

"Why so many, though? I'm not judging, is just seem like too much. How do you even like it any more?" Danny can't help but asks, since this are questions he wondered for a while. Not how can a person belong to so many sports team but how could Dash still like it…

"Is the thing I can do." Dash says simply, and Danny understands right away.

Danny knows he will be Danny Phantom until the day he ceases to be. It is not about liking or being the right thing to do, is simply what he is…

"But you like it?" Danny asks as he brings his knees to his chest.

"Yeah." Dash says with a smile on his face.

"Yeah?" Danny presses and Dash tries to look at the ghost but he feels too embarrassed for some reason to look the other teen on the eye.

"I want to be the best." Dash almost whisper, and Danny envies the human's determination -the human's impossible goal.

"That was cool." Danny changes the subject trying to chase the lighter atmosphere they had moments ago. When Dash was swimming like he belong on the water.

"Yeah, and I'm better when I had competition!" Dash says on his usual loud way.

"...It is okay, if I come to watch?" Danny asks, unsure if that would be too much.

"Yeah. Of course you can come, Fenton. I'm not your boss. The team loves crows. And I would like you to see me kicking more people's butts!" Dash says and Danny tries not to laugh.

They talk for a little longer until Dash needs to go. He is suppose to meet some friends on the gym.

Dash never tells Danny the true of the summer Danny accused him of faking being good.

Next thing Danny knows is that people don't search for his cold skin anymore.

Next thing Danny knows the school is getting ready for Halloween.

With the summer heat gone for good the school had regain its spirit, and Halloween could be Amity Park's citizens collective birthdays because everyone would had a party. Halloween seems to improve everyone's' moods, including certain blonde.

Danny flies through the school, feeling more safe than he thinks a ghost should on the public eye, but with all the decorations on and everyone trying to make the school looked hunted; Danny felt like he had to give them a real ghost.

The ghost flies through the walls until he reaches the pool were Dash and other three swimmers are decorating the pool with floaties (which they are trying really hard to make look like body parts, and failing.)

"You guys are going to lose!" Danny laughs and makes his way over the pool, and swings the bags he is carrying over his shoulder.

"It just needs … details!" George, the captain of the swimming team smiles fully aware that the pool looks adorable and that they will lose to any other attraction.

"Yeah, right!" Another swimmer says obviously mad, while someone else says how it hard to make a pool scary.

"We just need the piranhas!" Dash speaks, and Danny has to act like that is not a new thing. Like speaking in front of each other in public is normal. He is not good at pretending and he can feel people's eyes lingering on him.

"Let's -let's see them!" George tries to get the attention back to the task.

"Guys I can't bring ghost piranhas to school! I told you!" Danny reminds them as he moves the sack.

"So… What is on the sack?" George asks and Danny empties the bag on the pool.

"Koi fish, they are calm and they just want to chill here on this pool. They don't care for crows so-"

"Wait. Koi Fish?" Dash interrupts and Danny had to take a little break from the conversation -that was almost like a conversation on public.

"They are not scary!" The other members complain, and soon George is trying to calm down his team.

"This is going to be our ruin!"

"Koi fish? KOI fish? And floaties?"

"Wow, what an scary haunted amazon river!"

"LAGOON!" George screams over the rest and everyone just stares….

"...Thank you" Dash says at last and Danny nods and says something not mean or impolite.

"We'll make it work" Dash tells the team.

Danny flies away, but he wants to stay, he wants to keep being normal a little longer.

The ghost flies through the walls and stops at the halls.

"Hey spooky santa!" Danny turns to see Sam overdressed on her typical goth attire.

"Hey… Wait?" Danny starts and stops as he recognizes the outfit.

"Hey!" Sam continues with a smile but she is taken back by Danny staring.

"Sam what are you wearing?" Danny asks feeling a little sick seeing Sam, his dear friend, dress like the Undergrowth. Like Sam being possessed by the Undergrowth.

"My custom to the party, remember?" Sam answers and she moves closer to Danny, but the ghost moves away from her.

"Why are dress up like that?" Danny points obviously uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry… But Danny you told us that it was okay. Last week, don't you remember?" Sam explains as she takes out her make up, that took her over an hour to apply but only a few seconds to ruin, but Danny seen calmer when he can see her face and her eyes are free from the contacts.

"I… didn't expected to look so … real." Danny says and he doesn't even tries to remember when he agree to such a thing… the last weeks had past so fast he can't remember details.

"Danny…" Sam whispers unsure of what to say.

"Hey! Kneel to me!" Tucker screams as he walks towards them wearing a obviously last minute custom of the Pharaoh. Danny could see through the custom easily and aware that it was only a custom, he greets his friend like nothing had happen.

"Hey, King!"

"Pharaoh! Get it right or die!" Tucker says on his over the top fashion.

"See. You were just too good!" Danny smiles at Sam stays quiet.

"What is with the bag?" Tucker asks, and pokes it but his finger goes right through it.

"Oh, I'm bringing ghost fishes for the pool attraction!" Danny answers happy to change the subject.

"Which mean the pool attraction won't be lame?" Tucker asks.

"Do this animal want to be here?" Sam asks ready to fight the whole swimming team if necessary.

"They want to be here! I asks them. And who say the it would be lame?" Danny answers both.

"There is talk." Tucker explains and shrugs his shoulders.

"You can talk to dead fish?" Sam asks taken back.

"When they want me to understand I do. The dead has a silent way to speak." Danny explains.

"Oh"

"Ok."

They know better to ask too many questions.

They explain Danny like it was the first time. They are going to host a party as the Ghostly trio, The Pharaoh, Demeter (The Undergrowth' daughter), and Dann (or evil Danny from the future).

Danny smiles and tries not to think how he agree to any of that, but he just smiles.

The party is tonight, also Dash and his friends are invited. Tucker explain how they want to dance at the party and if they had the football team dancing then people are definitely going to show up. Tucker pouts and Sam apologizes for inviting Dash -but the guy is pretty popular and in love with halloween they couldn't just not invited him.

Danny nods and smiles. He had been troubles sleeping and when he doesn't sleep on a while he blacks out but only for a few hours never days or weeks.

"We can cancel?" Sam offers when she sees Danny becoming distance.

"No we can't!" Tucker interrupts and Sam elbows him.

"Is okay… I need to go do… a thing..." Danny says as he flies away.

"Danny!" He can hear his friends behind him so he turns to tell them that he is okay.

"I'll come back on time for the party!" Danny smiles.

"No!" Tucker interrupts once again.

"Where are you going?" Sam asks. Danny looks at his friends for a while, they are good friends.

"I'm going to talk to Vlad."

Danny says, he knows he should had talk with the only other half dead in town but he didn't want to know the answer to whatever is happening to him.

Danny turns to fly away but stops when he see the clear skies in front of him, he turns to see the city on his back.

The sun is lower than it should.

"F*(#" Danny whisper and continues flying. He tries not to think about how much time he had lost by not being there. He doesn't think about how long had this going on. He just keeps flying, he can't afford to stop and think.

He reaches the front of Vlad's mansion before he could think of what to say to the man or what to ask.

Danny waits until the door opens.

He had never been patient but time moves so fast, on a blink weeks could pass by.

One blink and the skies are dark.

It was summer, then school started, a month pass, then another, tomorrow is Halloween.

The door opens, Vlad looks at Danny with a small out place smile.

"Hello Daniel." The man says slowly like always.

"I can't sleep." Danny explains as a new feeling of urgency brews on his stomach. He doesn't want to think about it, he just want everything to be over. He wants against all logic for everything to be fix. Vlad can't but Danny doesn't yet understand. He can't fix Danny, Danny won't be able to just return to play dress up and dance with his friends, he won't see Dash dance, or see whatever his convenient lover did to make the pool scary. Or just go to sleep for first time on this month because he is truly tired.

"Come on in." Vlad says and walks inside. Danny closes the door behind him and hurries to follow Vlad but the man is taking his time to move.

"This is important!" Danny screams, fear of spending too much time here and missing half of the school year start to appear. It makes no sense but Danny's brain doesn't care.

"Isn't always important?" Vlad says unbothered by the nerve of the young ghost.

They finally reach a living room that Vlad want to sit on. The man chooses a large comfy chair to sit on and turns on the fire on the fireplace near them.

"I can't sleep. And now-" Danny starts but is interrupted by the man.

"From the start." Vlad asks.

"A few month ago I start having problems with-"

"From the start." Vlad insists and Danny stares at the man not sure anymore if he wants answers.

"I… I started feeling guilty… a few years ago… like I had crossed too many times. I start having problems thinking 'what am I supposed to do?' I felt like I only had one option; be Danny Phantom. Then My powers started getting stronger. That was a good thing." Danny stops and looks at Vlad, he waits for the man to tell him he was wrong that he should had come for help but he didn't and now it was too late.

But Vlad says nothing.

"I started talking to more ghosts, understanding how it works…. But that was good. I was able to find portal that my friends can't see and use them to cross. Then the nightmares start. A year later the nightmares went away, and I stop dreaming all together, but a lot of people don't dream. I looked up." Danny stops and looks at Vlad.

"Do you dream, Vlad?" Danny asks and sits down, his body has become too heavy to stand.

"No. Not anymore." The man answers simple and clear. So unlike him.

"I started having problems sleeping, and the problems became bigger. I could go days without sleep, then week, then months. Something, when I don't sleep on a while I blackout, but everyone does that. Like when someone is too tired to remember what they said… you kno-. You remember?"

"Of course I remember! I was an undergrad! I remember being so tired that you had no idea what you are doing. But is different." Vlad answers.

"I. I stopped sweating or being hungry, I eat -I'm just never hungry. I had become… resistant to temperatures…I can feel people's life when they touch me… That one is very new."

Danny stops and waits for an diagnostic, but Vlad just stares at the fire.

"Well?!" Danny hurries the man.

"Isn't obvious?" Vlad asks without looking at Danny. "You are dying."


End file.
